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Many people have heard about the Stick. Most of them know about it thanks to Tony Levin. They are unaware, though that there is a number of other great talented musicians who play the Stick solo or in bands. For this reason, I have decided to create this page on which I will present such Stick players to the readers, especially to those in Israel and in Russia. On this page, each month you are going to meet a different artist and get acquainted with his or her music.

Bob Culbertson is certainly one of the world's greatest Stick players and tappers in general. His playing style combines virtuosity, fantasticly clear tone and emotional expression. When I first heard Bob's playing, I fell in love from the first sound, with both his music and the sound of the Stick. Today I am very happy not only to introduce Bob's music to my Website visitors, but also to ask Bob a few questions:

Irene: Bob, you are one of the veterans of the Stick. Where, when and how did you encounter the Stick and what made you stick to the Stick for the rest of your life?

Bob: I first saw Emmett demonstrating the Stick at Guitar Showcase in San Jose in 1976. I was teaching guitar at the time and I was told to go upstairs to see Emmett play. I had no idea what I was about to see. In fact I was leaving for the beach when they said you must see this. I said ok I will look for a couple minutes then be on my way. After about 2 hours I was still there asking Emmett questions long after the demonstration was over.

Irene: Emmett Chapman, the creator of the Stick, calls you "Segovia of the Stick". How have you managed to reach such level of virtuosity?

Bob: Playing the Stick like any other endeavor takes a lot of time and work. The most important thing for me is that I just always wanted to play. It is the desire to play and the emotional effect it had on me that is the most important ingredient to accomplishing anything in music. Practice was always fun for me. I have studied several styles of music from various sources. It is good to learn from anywhere and anyone you can, from school to people you play with. Sometimes you find inspiration in the most unusual places. I wrote an entire CD around the idea of having a coffee in an old diner in San Francisco. I guess you could say that is not exactly the most glamorous concept.

Irene: You are definitely the most prolific solo Stick player. I counted eight albums recorded by you. Where does such creativeness come from?

Bob: This is an age old question. I think everyone has their own way of creativity. It is interesting to see how others "create" in their lives. I have always had a different way I view my own environment. For some reason as far back as I can remember when I saw something done a certain way I would think how can I do this in a completely unique way. I have always been drawn to the new and unknown. The Stick has so many possibilities it seems natural to experiment. On a philosophical note I have this question; is everything we think of made up of something we have already experienced? Can a person truly create something that is made up of no combination or extraction of something that already exists? It seems like most creativity is made up of gradual alterations of the past. To sum it up; I believe my own creativity comes for several sources. How I was raised, my experiences and studies, and my own intuitions and desire to continue to experiment.

Irene: I really love your beautiful sound. Your Stick always sounds clean and bright. How do you process your sound in concerts and during recordings?

Bob: First of all I found the most important aspect of tone is in the sustain of your own playing. I think the less processing you use the cleaner you sound. A lot of the sound is created by holding notes down as long as you can to create a natural sustain. I probably spend more time just trying to get that natural reverb with fingering techniques than any other technique. As for the processing, the Cds all had a slightly different approach. When I recorded the first 3 solo Cds I played straight into the computer with no processing. When I added effects I would mix in 20% at most. The first couple Cds have just a little reverb and tiny bit of delay. I tried chorusing and even a little compression but found it only made the sound muddy. On the Romantica Cds I recorded direct to Disk then played back the recording in a studio with a 20' ceiling through high end stereo speakers. We miked the sound an used just the room for the effect. Acoustick Dawn was recorded with a mike inside the body and a transducer under the bridge. Very little reverb was added after.
When I play live now I only use a slight delay. I eliminated the reverb. At home I have a great sounding powered amp that I play completely dry through. I even went so far as to eliminate EQ. When I practice I play dry most of the time. This continues to help facilitate practicing for tone.

Irene: Now, a few words about the Acoustick. You are the world only owner of the acoustic Stick. What are the special characteristics of the Acoustick and which new horizons it opens before you?

Bob: The Acoustick opens up a whole new sound for me. I have always loved acoustic guitar sounds. The instrument plays almost the same as the electric. The strings are just slightly heavier gauge. I also enjoy playing with no amp. I can take the instrument out in the woods and play. The sound however is a bit softer than an acoustic guitar. Also, you have to really work with the dynamics to get an even sound.

Irene: Except for being an outstanding performer, you are well-known as a Stick instructor. I must tell you that your video lessons are really amazing - a great source for the musicians who want to start with the Stick or advance in their level! Are you planning to record more lessons in the future? And when your lessons in DVD format will be available?

Bob: Thank you for the compliment. I am very happy to have done the lesson videos. It turned out that I get as much gratification from people learning from the lessons as I do creating my own art. I am working on one or 2 more supplemental lesson courses. One will be new ways of learning I have discovered since the videos. The other will be new techniques I have developed. There also will be a big emphasis on playing for tone. I am already working on putting the lessons on DVD. I hope to have them done by the end of September.

Irene: I have heard that you love traveling and have performed a lot in Europe and other parts of the world. How do such travels influence your music?

Bob Traveling is one of the great and fortunate events in ones life. Traveling has probably affected my life and my music, almost all in a positive way. I think everyone especially when they are younger should spend at least some time in another culture. It will make you appreciate both what you have and what other people are about. To sum it up, yes travel has greatly influenced my music both culturally and philosophically.

Irene: Do you play with other musicians, and if yes, who are the musicians you especially enjoyed playing with?

Bob: I have played in several bands. After playing in a couple rock bands I got the Stick and formed the Stickband with my longtime friend and partner Jim Bruno. We both played Stick along with a drummer and later added a vocalist and keyboard player. We also played some other odd instruments. Jim played, Lyricon, Steiner and guitar I also played Violin, keys and several odd guitars I built such as the slide harp (a harp pluck with the left hand and 3 strings added on top you tap slide with a bottleneck in the right hand). Or the guitar I built from a mannequin. Yes, we were bizarre. The music varied from fusion, prog to pop. The Stickband will always have a special place in my heart. After Stickband I started the group African Rain. We had 8 singers and 3 percussionists. The music was an influence of West, South African and a bit of jazz. and pop. We had the good fortune of recording and performing with Babatunde Olatunji. Currently I have been playing solo over the past 8 years but am beginning to look toward more collaboration. Most recently I played a couple gigs with Michael Manring and hope to record a couple tunes with him and some other amazing players.

Irene: There are many people from Russia and Israel who visit my website. Do you have any plans for performing in Russia or Israel?

Bob: I would like to play in both Russia and Israel. I am working with a person to hopefully get me over to Russia. I am open to anyone suggestion who lives there too. As you can see I just enjoying meeting and playing for new people and cultures. I will probably be leaving for Japan in Late October of this year.

Irene: Is there anything else you would like to tell my showcase visitors?

Bob: Thanks for taking interest in my work. I hope to meet you someday wherever you live. There is nothing better in this business than to play for an audience that takes interest and listens to the music. Especially when you can feel their true enjoyment of the moment. I have met so many nice people throughout the world.
If you like feel free to contact me about any questions you may have. Be patient though. I may be away from my computer for several days at a time.
Thanks again for reading.
Sincerely, Bob Culbertson

Irene: Thanks a lot for presenting yourself in my showcase and hope to hear more of your music soon!

Spanish Sun MP3
(from the album Acoustick Dawn)

Cafe San Francisco MP3
(from the album Cafe San Francisco)

Canarios MP3
(from the album Romantica 2)

Visit the previous month Showcase page

Visit the following month Showcase page